GOD’S WORD
November 23, 2016 (Wednesday) 34th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Rev 15:1-4
Then, I saw another great and marvelous sign in the heavens: seven angels brought seven plagues, which are the last, for with these, the wrath of God will end. There was a sea of crystal, mingled with fire, and the conquerors of the beast, of its name and the mark of its name stood by it.
They had been given the celestial harps, and they sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord, God and Master of the universe. Justice and truth guide your steps, O King of the nations.
Lord, who will not give honor and glory to your name?
For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and bow before you, for they have now seen your judgments.
Gospel: Lk 21:12-19
Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by rela- tives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of my name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.
Reflection:
A lot of leaders, especially political leaders, attract followers by making all kinds of promises involving a golden future, with all problems solved as if by magic. They thus succeed in making themselves popular and acclaimed. And why not? Who doesn’t like to think of the future in glowing terms?
In that respect, Jesus is strikingly different from such incurable optimists. His honesty is brutal. Far from promising a path of roses to his followers, he promises them contradictions, persecutions, betrayals on the part of loved ones, and even death. It is difficult for anyone to be more plain-spoken in announcing hardships of every kind, including martyrdom. Yet, in the very act of doing this, he remains strangely serene, as if the outcome of all he announces will eventually turn out to be entirely positive.
He even says something apparently contradictory: that some will die, and yet not a hair of their head will perish. He probably means that some will lose a lot more than their hair, but that eventually they will regain hair and lives in an eternity of glory. And this, of course, is well worth a few hairs…